JP6965646B2 - Transport vehicle and transport equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transport vehicle that travels along the front surface of a container shelf provided with a plurality of shelves that support the container in the vertical direction and transports the container, and a transport vehicle provided with a plurality of the transport vehicles.

A conventional example of such a transport facility is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-277062 (Patent Document 1). The transport vehicle provided in the transport equipment of Patent Document 1 includes a transfer robot 6 that moves a container in and out of a container shelf. This transport vehicle takes out the container from the container shelf by the transfer robot 6 while stopped in front of the container shelf, travels to the front of another container shelf with the transfer robot 6 supporting the container, and then transfers. The robot 6 transports the container so that the supported container is housed in another container shelf.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-277062

In the above-mentioned transport equipment, when taking out the articles stored in the container of the container shelf, or when storing the articles in the container of the container shelf, the container is taken out from the container shelf by the transport vehicle and transported to the place where the picking work is performed. Then, the goods are stored in the container and the picking work is performed to take out the goods from the container. Then, the container for which the picking work has been completed is placed on a transport vehicle, transported to a container shelf, and stored. In this way, when storing and taking out articles in a container, it is necessary to transport the container to a place where picking work is performed once by a transport vehicle, so that it is not possible to efficiently store and take out articles in the container. ..

Therefore, it is desired to realize a transport vehicle capable of efficiently storing and removing articles in a container, and a transport facility equipped with a plurality of the transport vehicles.

In view of the above, the characteristic configuration of the transport vehicle is that the container is transported by traveling along a container shelf provided with a plurality of shelves supporting the container in the vertical direction.
A support area for supporting the container, a container transfer device for moving the container in and out of the container shelf, a container in the first state which is the container supported by the support area, and a container transfer. A recognition device that recognizes an article contained in the container in at least one state of the container in the second state, which is the container in a state supported by the mounting device, and an article recognized by the recognition device are the first. An article transfer device for transferring between a container in one state and a container in the second state is provided , and the container transfer device further moves the container in and out of the support area. It is in the point that it is composed.

According to this configuration, the container taken out from the container shelf by the container transfer device is supported by the container transfer device. Then, the article can be transferred between the container in the second state supported by the container transfer device and the container in the first state supported by the support region. Then, the container in the second state in which the articles have been taken out and stored can be stored in the container shelf by the container transfer device.
In this way, the container taken out from the container shelf by the container transfer device can be taken out and stored in the transport vehicle. Therefore, it is not necessary to transport the container taken out from the container shelf by a transport vehicle, and the container can be efficiently stored and taken out of the article.

In view of the above, another characteristic configuration of the transport vehicle is that the container is transported along the container shelf provided with a plurality of stages of shelves for supporting the container in the vertical direction to transport the container, and the support for supporting the container is supported. The area, the container transfer device for moving the container in and out of the container shelf, the container in the first state which is the container supported by the support area, and the container transfer device. A recognition device that recognizes an article contained in the container in at least one state of the container in the second state, which is the container in the state, and an article recognized by the recognition device are the container in the first state and the container in the first state. The container is configured to be stackable in the vertical direction, and the support area includes a plurality of the containers in a stack state. A rearranging device that is supportable and rearranges the order of the containers of the container group stacked in the support area is further provided, and the container located at the uppermost stage of the container group is the container in the first state. There is a certain point.

According to this configuration, the container taken out from the container shelf by the container transfer device is supported by the container transfer device. Then, the article can be transferred between the container in the second state supported by the container transfer device and the container in the first state supported by the support region. Then, the container in the second state in which the articles have been taken out and stored can be stored in the container shelf by the container transfer device.
In this way, the container taken out from the container shelf by the container transfer device can be taken out and stored in the transport vehicle. Therefore, it is not necessary to transport the container taken out from the container shelf by a transport vehicle, and the container can be efficiently stored and taken out of the article.
Further, according to this configuration, by changing the order of the containers of the container group supported in the support area by the rearranging device, any container among the plurality of containers constituting the container group can be placed on the uppermost stage of the container group. It can be moved to, that is, a container in the first state. Therefore, the article transfer device can take out and accommodate the articles for all the containers in the container group while stacking a plurality of containers in the support area in a stacked state.

Top view of transport equipment Perspective view of transport vehicle and container shelf Top view of transport vehicle and container shelf Perspective view of the lifting mechanism Longitudinal front view of the lifting mechanism showing the state where the support part is in the support position. Longitudinal front view of the lifting mechanism showing the state in which the support portion is in the retracted position. Perspective view of the transfer device showing a state in which the protruding portion is retired. Perspective view of the transfer device showing a state in which the protruding portion is projected. Side view of the transport vehicle Side view of a transport vehicle showing a state in which an article is transferred by an article transfer device. Side view of the transport vehicle showing the state when the sorting order of the containers is changed by the sorting device. Side view of the transport vehicle showing the state when the sorting order of the containers is changed by the sorting device.

1. 1. Embodiment An embodiment of a transport facility including a plurality of transport vehicles will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the transport equipment carries in and out a plurality of container shelves 1 for accommodating the container W, a plurality of transport vehicles 2 for transporting the container W, and a container group WG in which the containers W are stacked. It includes a carry-in / out unit 3 and a control device H for controlling a plurality of transport vehicles 2.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the container W is formed by erecting a side wall portion around the bottom portion, and is formed in a box shape having an open upper surface. In this example, as the container W, a non-deformable container made of a resin material is used. The side wall portion of the container W is provided with a protrusion 6 (rib) formed along the longitudinal direction of the container W and a protrusion 6 (rib) formed along the vertical direction Z of the container W. There is. Then, in this example, the container W can be moved or lifted in the horizontal direction by the container transfer device 24 by engaging the holding portion 46 of the container transfer device 24 with the protrusion 6. There is. The container W transferred by the container transfer device 24 in FIG. 3 is a container W in which a part is cut out across the container W in order to show a protrusion 6 formed along the vertical direction Z. Shown.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the upper end portion of the container W and the lower end portion of another container W can be fitted in the vertical direction Z, and the container W can be stacked in the vertical direction Z. It is configured. By the way, in the stacked containers W, a storage space is formed between the bottom of the container W and the bottom of another container W stacked above the container W, and articles are placed in the container W. The container W can be stacked in a stored state.

[Container shelf]
The container shelf 1 is provided with a plurality of shelves 11 that support the container W in the vertical direction Z. A plurality of unstacked containers W are supported on the shelf 11 in a state of being lined up in the shelf width direction A of the container shelf 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of container shelves 1 are installed in a posture along the shelf width direction A. The two container shelves 1 whose front surfaces face each other are installed at intervals in the shelf depth direction B. An inter-shelf passage 12 is formed between these two container shelves 1, and the inter-shelf passage 12 is used as a passage through which the transport vehicle 2 travels. A plurality of container shelves 1 having a posture along the shelf width direction A are arranged in the shelf depth direction B, and the plurality of container shelves 1 are arranged so that a plurality of inter-shelf passages 12 are formed. When the transport vehicle 2 travels in the inter-shelf passage 12, the transport vehicle 2 travels along the front surface of the container shelf 1. Incidentally, the inter-shelf passage 12 is not formed between the two container shelves 1 whose rear surfaces face each other.
The direction along the longitudinal direction of the container shelf 1 is referred to as the shelf width direction A, and the direction orthogonal to the shelf width direction A in the vertical direction Z is referred to as the shelf depth direction B. Further, the surface of the container shelf 1 facing the inter-shelf passage 12 is referred to as a front surface, and the surface of the container shelf 1 opposite to the surface facing the inter-shelf passage 12 is referred to as a rear surface.

As shown in FIG. 2, the shelf portion 11 includes a first regulator body 13 and a second regulator body 14. The first regulator 13 is provided so as to be located on both sides of the shelf depth direction B with respect to the container W supported by the shelf 11, and the second regulator 14 is a container supported by the shelf 11. It is provided so as to be located on both sides of the shelf width direction A with respect to W. The container W supported by the shelf portion 11 is restricted from moving in the shelf depth direction B by the first regulator 13, and is restricted from moving in the shelf width direction A by the second regulator 14.
A guide rail 15 is installed in front of the shelf portion 11 along the shelf width direction A. The transport vehicle 2 traveling in front of the shelf portion 11 travels along the shelf width direction A in the inter-shelf passage 12 in a state where the movement in the shelf depth direction B is restricted by the guide rail 15.

The carry-in / out section 3 includes a carry-in section 16 and a carry-out section 18. A container group WG in which a plurality of containers W that do not contain articles are stacked in the vertical direction Z is carried into the carry-in unit 16. The container W constituting the container group WG carried into the carry-in unit 16 is placed on the transport vehicle 2, and the articles are housed by the picking operation by the transport vehicle 2. Articles are housed in a plurality of containers W constituting the container group WG mounted on the transport vehicle 2, and the transport vehicle 2 transports the container group WG containing the articles to the carry-out unit 18. The plurality of containers W (container group WG) mounted on the transport vehicle 2 from the carry-in unit 16 are empty containers W in which articles are not stored. The plurality of containers W (container group WG) transported from the transport vehicle 2 to the carry-out unit 18 are actual containers W containing articles.

[Transport vehicle]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the conveyor 2 is installed in a traveling portion 21 running on the floor surface and a support area 22 for supporting the container W in a stacked state to support the container W in the support area 22. Conveyor 23, container transfer device 24 for transferring container W, and container W of arbitrary height in the container group WG stacked in the support area 22 are lifted with respect to the container W below it. It includes a lifting mechanism 25 and an article transfer device 26 for transferring articles. When the transport vehicle 2 travels along the front surface of the container shelf 1, the container transfer device 24 is installed in a state of being adjacent to the first side X1 in the front-rear direction with respect to the support area 22. The container transfer device 24 transfers the container W supported by the shelf portion 11 to the support region 22 and the container W supported by the support region 22 to the shelf portion 11. Hereinafter, the transport vehicle 2 will be described, but in a state where the transport vehicle 2 is located in the inter-shelf passage 12, that is, when the transport vehicle 2 is traveling along the front surface of the container shelf 1, the direction along the shelf width direction A. Is the front-rear direction X, one side of the front-rear direction X is the front-rear direction first side X1, and the opposite side is the front-rear direction second side X2. The direction orthogonal to the left-right direction is defined as the left-right direction Y, one side of the left-right direction Y is referred to as the left-right direction first side Y1, and the opposite side is referred to as the left-right direction second side Y2.

The container group WG of the support region 22 is supported by the transport surface of the conveyor 23. That is, in the transport vehicle 2, a support region 22 for supporting the container W in a stepped state is formed on the conveyor 23.
The conveyor 23 is installed so as to convey the container group WG along the left-right direction Y. Therefore, by operating the conveyor 23 with the transport vehicle 2 stopped so that the carry-in portion 16 is adjacent to the transport vehicle 2 in the left-right direction Y, the container group WG of the carry-in portion 16 is conveyed onto the conveyor 23. be able to. Further, by operating the conveyor 23 while the transport vehicle 2 is stopped so that the carry-out portion 18 is adjacent to the carry-out portion 18 in the left-right direction Y of the transport vehicle 2, the container group WG on the conveyor 23 is conveyed to the carry-out portion 18. be able to.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the transport vehicle 2 is a container W in the first state, which is a container W in a state of being supported by the support region 22, and a container W in a state of being supported by the container transfer device 24. A recognition device 27 for recognizing an article housed in a container W in both states of a container W in a second state is provided.
The recognition device 27 images the container W in the first state from above to recognize the article contained in the container W in the first state, and the container W in the second state from above. The second imaging device 27B for recognizing the article contained in the container W in the second state is provided.
The first imaging device 27A is installed above the container group WG supported by the support region 22, and the container W located at the uppermost stage of the container group WG is installed so as to be able to image from above.
The second imaging device 27B is installed above the vertical movement range of the container transfer device 24, and the container transfer device 24 is in a state where the container transfer device 24 (see FIG. 10) is positioned at a set height. The container W supported by the above is installed so that it can be imaged.
The first imaging device 27A and the second imaging device 27B are supported by an upper frame 28 erected over the upper end portion of the first mast 37 and the upper end portion of the second mast 52.

[Lift mechanism]
As shown in FIG. 4, the lifting mechanism 25 lifts the container W at an arbitrary height in the container group WG supported by the support region 22 with respect to the container W below it. The lifting mechanism 25 includes a support portion 31 that supports the container W, an elevating portion 32 that supports the support portion 31 and moves along the vertical direction Z, and a guide portion 33 that guides the container W in the support region 22 to an appropriate position. And have.
The elevating portion 32 is composed of a frame body framed in a rectangular shape in the vertical Z view, and is located so as to surround the container W in the support region 22 in the vertical Z view. The elevating portion 32 is driven by the first motor 36 and moves in the vertical direction Z along the first mast 37 erected on the traveling portion 21.

The guide portion 33 is supported by the elevating portion 32, and when the elevating portion 32 is moved along the vertical direction Z, the guide portion 33 comes into contact with the container W of the support region 22 and the container W is placed at an appropriate position of the support region 22. I will guide you to. To add an explanation, the guide unit 33 includes a first guide unit 41 and a second guide unit 42. The first guide portion 41 is provided in a portion of the guide portion 33 that projects upward from the elevating portion 32. The second guide portion 42 is provided in a portion of the guide portion 33 that projects downward from the elevating portion 32. The first guide portion 41 is provided so as to be located on both sides of the second side X2 in the front-rear direction and the Y in the left-right direction with respect to the container W at an appropriate position in the vertical direction Z view. The second guide portion 42 is provided so as to be located on both sides of the front-rear direction X and both sides of the left-right direction Y with respect to the container W at an appropriate position in the vertical direction Z view.

The first guide portion 41 is provided with an inclined surface that is separated from the container W at an appropriate position toward the upper side. When the elevating part 32 moves upward, if there is a container W displaced horizontally from the proper position in the container group WG of the support area 22, the inclined surface of the first guide portion 41 comes into contact with the container W. By guiding the container W to the proper position side, the container W deviated from the proper position can be moved to the proper position.
Further, the second guide portion 42 is provided with an inclined surface that is separated from the container W at an appropriate position toward the lower side. When the elevating portion 32 moves downward, if there is a container W displaced horizontally from the proper position in the container group WG of the support region 22, the inclined surface of the second guide portion 42 comes into contact with the container W. By guiding the container W to the proper position side, the container W deviated from the proper position can be moved to the proper position.
The proper position of the container W is a preset position of the container W with respect to the support area 22, and the proper positions of the plurality of stacked containers W are the same in the vertical direction Z view. ..

The lifting mechanism 25 includes a third guide portion 43. The third guide portion 43 is supported by the elevating portion 32 so as to be located above the elevating portion 32. The third guide portion 43 includes an inclined surface that is separated from the container W at an appropriate position in the left-right direction Y by about the first side X1 in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 10, when the container W is placed on the container group WG of the support area 22 by the container transfer device 24, when the container W is deviated from the proper position in the left-right direction Y, the container W is placed on the container W. (3) The inclined surfaces of the guide portion 43 come into contact with each other to move the container W to an appropriate position in the left-right direction Y.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the support portion 31 is supported at a support position (see FIGS. 4 and 5) that overlaps with the protrusion 6 of the container W in the support region 22 in the vertical Z view and in the vertical Z view. It is movably configured in a retracted position (see FIG. 6) that does not overlap the container W in the region 22. To add an explanation, the support portion 31 is formed in a plate shape in which the center bulges, and is rotated around the axis along the front-rear direction X by the drive of the second motor 44, so that the front-rear direction X and the left-right direction Y It moves to a support position which is a rotation position along the above and a retract position which is a rotation position along the front-rear direction X and the up-down direction Z.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the lifting mechanism 25, the support portion 31 is set to the retracted position, so that the support portion 31 comes into contact with the container group WG of the support region 22 when the elevating portion 32 is moved in the vertical direction Z. Can be avoided.
Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the lifting mechanism 25 retracts the support portion 31 in a state where the elevating portion 32 is moved to a height corresponding to an arbitrary container W in the container group WG of the support region 22. To the support position, and then the elevating part 32 is raised. As a result, the support portion 31 engages with the protrusion 6 of the arbitrary container W, and the arbitrary container W can be lifted. At this time, when another container W is stacked above the arbitrary container W, the container W stacked above the arbitrary container W can be lifted together with the arbitrary container W. In this way, the lifting mechanism 25 can collectively lift any container W in the container group WG stacked in the support region 22 and the container W above the arbitrary container W.
The lifting mechanism 25 lowers the elevating portion 32 from the state in which the container W is lifted so that one or more containers W supported by the support portion 31 can be lifted on the conveyor 23 or in the support region of the conveyor 23. If the container W exists in 22, it can be stacked on the container W.

[Container transfer device]
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the container transfer device 24 is configured to hold the outer surface of the container W and move the container W. The container transfer device 24 has a holding portion 46 that holds the container W, a retractable portion 47 that supports the holding portion 46 and is freely retractable along the horizontal direction, and a support that supports the bottom surface of the container W from below. A 48, a rotating portion 49 that supports the exit / exit portion 47 and the support 48, and is rotatable around the center of the vertical axis along the vertical direction Z, and a base portion 50 that supports the rotating portion 49 are provided. A pair of holding portions 46 and exit / exit portions 47 are provided in a state of being arranged in a direction orthogonal to the exit / exit direction of the exit / exit portion 47 in the vertical direction Z view. The holding portion 46, the moving portion 47, and the rotating portion 49 constitute a transfer portion 60 for transferring the container W, and the transfer portion 60 moves the container W between the shelf portion 11 and the support 48. At the same time as transferring, the container W is transferred between the support 48 and the support area 22.

Since the height of the container W supported by the support 48 is lower than the height of the container W at the bottom of the container group WG supported by the conveyor 23, the container transfer device 24 has a specified number (pieces) on the conveyor 23. In the embodiment, it is configured to be able to move up and down to a height higher than the uppermost container W of the container group WG in which the containers W of 10) are stacked. Further, the container transfer device 24 can be raised and lowered to a height (transfer height) corresponding to each of the shelves 11 provided in the container shelf 1. The transfer height corresponding to the lowermost shelf portion 11 is lower than the lowermost container W of the container group WG supported by the conveyor 23, and the height is such that the container W is supported by the support 48. It is set.

The base portion 50 is driven by the third motor 51 and moves in the vertical direction Z along the second mast 52 erected on the traveling portion 21. The base portion 50 supports the holding portion 46 with the rotating portion 49 and the exit / exit portion 47 intervening, and the holding portion 46 moves up and down as the base portion 50 moves along the vertical direction Z by the third motor 51. It moves along the direction Z. The third motor 51 corresponds to a vertical drive unit that moves the holding unit 46 along the vertical direction Z.

The rotating portion 49 is driven by a built-in motor to rotate around the vertical axis center P along the vertical direction Z. The rotating portion 49 supports the exit / exit portion 47, and when the rotating portion 49 rotates around the vertical axis center P, the exit / exit portion 47 rotates around the vertical axis center and is held by the exit / exit portion 47. The direction in which the portion 46 protrudes is changed around the vertical axis center P. Specifically, when the rotating portion 49 rotates around the center P of the vertical axis, the directions in which the holding portion 46 protrudes by the exit / exit portion 47 are defined as the first side Y1 in the left-right direction and the second side Y2 in the left-right direction. It can be changed to the second side X2 in the front-rear direction. The rotating unit 49 corresponds to a rotation driving unit that rotates the exit / exit portion 47 around the vertical axis center P and changes the direction in which the holding portion 46 protrudes by the exit / exit portion 47. Hereinafter, the state of the container transfer device 24 in which the direction in which the holding portion 46 protrudes is the first side Y1 in the left-right direction is referred to as the first shelf transfer state, and the direction in which the holding portion 46 protrudes is referred to as the second side Y2 in the left-right direction. The state of the container transfer device 24 is referred to as the second shelf transfer state, and the state of the container transfer device 24 in which the direction in which the holding portion 46 protrudes is the front-rear direction second side X2 is the stacking transfer state. It is called.

Each of the pair of exit / exit portions 47 has a fixed portion 54 supported by the rotating portion 49, a moving portion 55 that moves horizontally with respect to the fixed portion 54, and a moving portion 55 with respect to the fixed portion 54. It includes a fourth motor 56 that moves back and forth in the horizontal direction. The moving portion 55 includes a belt 58 wound around a pair of pulleys 57 that are rotatable around an axial center along the vertical direction Z, and a fifth motor 59 that rotationally drives one of the pair of pulleys 57. I have. A holding portion 46 is fixed to the belt 58.
The exit / exit portion 47 moves the holding portion 46 in the horizontal direction by the exit / exit movement of the moving portion 55 by the fourth motor 56 and the rotation of the belt 58 by the fifth motor 59, and the holding portion 46 is moved to the retired position. (See FIG. 7) and the protruding position (see FIG. 8) protruding horizontally from this retired position. The exit / exit portion 47 corresponds to a horizontal drive portion that moves the holding portion 46 along the horizontal direction.

Further, at both ends of the belt 58 in the left-right direction Y, by moving along the outer peripheral surface of the pulley 57, it is supported by the holding portion 46 supported by one exit / exit portion 47 and the other exit / exit portion 47. The distance from the holding portion 46 is changed. The interval between the pair of holding portions 46 can be changed to an engaging interval in which the pair of holding portions 46 engages with the container W and a disengagement interval in which the pair of holding portions 46 disengage from the container W. The fact that the container W is held by the pair of holding portions 46 means that the container W can be moved by engaging with the protrusion 6 of the container W when the holding portions 46 move back and forth. The container W may not be sandwiched by the holding portion 46 of the container W.

A case where the container W supported by the support region 22 is transferred to the support 48 by the container transfer device 24 will be described.
First, the container transfer device 24 rotates the rotating portion 49 around the vertical axis center P to bring the container transfer device 24 into a stacking transfer state, and raises and lowers the base 50 to transfer the container transfer device 24 in the support region 22. The container transfer device 24 is moved up and down to a transfer height corresponding to the container W to be loaded. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, after switching the container transfer device 24 from the retired state to the protruding state, the interval between the pair of holding portions 46 is changed from the disengagement interval to the engaging interval, and the pair of holding portions 46 Hold the container W. After that, the holding portion 46 is moved to the retired position, and the container W in the support region 22 is transferred to the support 48. When the container W to be transferred is stacked on top of another container W, the container W is held by the pair of holding portions 46, and then the base 50 is raised to raise the container W to be transferred. After at least disengaging the front end portion and the container W adjacent to the lower side, the holding portion 46 is moved to the retired position.

Next, a case where the container W supported by the support 48 is transferred to the support region 22 by the container transfer device 24 will be described.
First, the container transfer device 24 rotates the rotating portion 49 around the vertical axis center P to bring the container transfer device 24 into a stacking transfer state, and raises and lowers the base 50 to transfer the support region 22. The container transfer device 24 is moved up and down to the mounting height. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the container transfer device 24 is switched from the retired state to the protruding state while the container W is held by the pair of holding portions 46 having the engagement interval, and is supported by the support 48. The container W is stacked on the container W in the support region 22. After that, the interval between the pair of holding portions 46 is changed from the engaging interval to the disengagement interval to release the holding of the container W to be transferred, and then the holding portions 46 are moved to the retired position. If the container W does not exist in the support area 22, the container W to be transferred is transferred onto the conveyor 23.

When the container W supported by the shelf 11 is transferred to the support 48 by the container transfer device 24, or the container W supported by the support 48 by the container transfer device 24 is transferred to the shelf 11. In the case of relocation, the state of the container transfer device 24 is changed to the first shelf transfer state or the second shelf transfer state instead of the stacking transfer state, or the container W to be transferred is stacked. Even if this is not done, the container transfer device 24 is similar to the case where the container W supported by the support 48 is transferred to the support area 22, except that the base 50 is raised in order to overcome the first regulator 13. The description will be omitted in order to operate.

[Article transfer device]
The article transfer device 26 is configured to hold and take out the articles contained in the container W from the opening of the container W, and the articles recognized by the recognition device 27 are the container W in the first state and the first state. Transfer to and from container W in two states. The article transfer device 26 transfers the article imaged by the first imaging device 27A from the container W in the first state to the container W in the second state. Further, the article transfer device 26 transfers the article imaged by the second imaging device 27B from the container W in the second state to the container W in the first state. The article transfer device 26 is supported by a support frame 29 supported by an upper frame 28.

As shown in FIG. 9, the article transfer device 26 includes a pedestal portion 61, a swivel portion 62, a first arm 63, a second arm 64, a third arm 65, and an article holding portion 66. The pedestal portion 61 is fixed to the upper frame 28. The swivel portion 62 is rotatably supported around the axis along the vertical direction Z with respect to the pedestal portion 61. The base end portion of the first arm 63 is swingably connected to the swivel portion 62. The first arm 63 is swingable around an axis along the horizontal direction with respect to the swivel portion 62. The base end portion of the second arm 64 is swingably connected to the tip end portion of the first arm 63. The second arm 64 is swingable about an axis along the horizontal direction with respect to the first arm 63. The second arm 64 is configured to be rotatable around an axial center along the longitudinal direction of the second arm 64 at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the second arm 64. The base end portion of the third arm 65 is swingably connected to the tip end portion of the second arm 64. Further, an article holding portion 66 is rotatably connected to the tip end portion of the third arm 65 along the longitudinal direction of the third arm 65. As described above, the article transfer device 26 is composed of a vertical articulated robot (6-axis robot).
The article holding unit 66 includes a suction pad that holds the article by suction, and holds the article by suction.

[Sort device]
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the transport vehicle 2 is provided with a rearrangement device 68 for rearranging the arrangement order of the containers W of the container group WG supported by the support region 22. The sorting device 68 includes a lifting mechanism 25 and a container transfer device 24.
The rearrangement device 68 rearranges the arrangement order of the containers W of the container group WG as follows.
That is, first, the lifting mechanism 25 lifts an arbitrary container W of the container group WG with respect to the container W below it. Next, the container W located at the uppermost stage of the container W that has not been lifted by the lifting mechanism 25 in the container group WG is transferred from the support region 22 onto the support 48 by the container transfer device 24.
After that, the lifted container W is stacked on the unlifted container W by the lifting mechanism 25, and the container is placed on the stacked container group WG (excluding the container W transferred by the container transfer device 24). The transfer device 24 stacks the containers W on the support 48.
In this way, the container W one step below any container W to be lifted by the lifting mechanism 25 is moved to the uppermost stage of the container group WG, and the order of the containers W of the container group WG is changed. In the present embodiment, the arbitrary container W is the container W in the second stage from the bottom in the container group WG.

Further, the lifting mechanism 25 recognizes the article housed in the container W in the first state by the first image pickup device 27A because the container W in the first state is far downward from the first image pickup device 27A. If this is not possible, the container W in the first state may be lifted to the first set height. Specifically, when the number of container group WGs supported in the support region 22 is small (for example, when the number of container Ws constituting the container group WG is five), the height of the container W in the first state is high. Is low, and the container W in the first state is largely separated downward from the first image pickup device 27A, so that it is difficult for the first image pickup device 27A to recognize the article contained in the container W in the first state. In such a case, the lifting mechanism 25 lifts the container W in the first state to the first set height, and the first imaging device 27A recognizes the article housed in the container W in the first state. In the present embodiment, the first set height is the height of the container W located at the uppermost stage when the container group WG composed of 10 containers W is placed on the conveyor 23.

Further, the lifting mechanism 25 cannot properly transfer the article to the container W in the first state by the article transfer device 26 because the container W in the first state is far downward from the article transfer device 26. In this case, the container W in the first state may be lifted to the second set height. Specifically, when the number of container group WGs supported by the support region 22 is small (for example, when the number of container Ws constituting the container group WG is five), the height of the container W in the first state is high. Is low, and the container W in the first state is largely separated downward from the article transfer device 26, so that it is difficult for the article transfer device 26 to properly transfer the article to the container W in the first state. In such a case, the article transfer device 26 transfers the article to the container W in the first state while the container W in the first state is lifted to the second set height by the lifting mechanism 25. In the present embodiment, the second set height is the height of the container W located at the uppermost stage when the container group WG composed of 10 containers W is placed on the conveyor 23, and the first set height. It is the same height as.

〔Control device〕
As shown in FIG. 1, the control device H sets the traveling routes R of the plurality of transport vehicles 2, and controls the transport vehicles 2 so that the plurality of transport vehicles 2 travel along the travel routes R. The traveling route R has a route along the shelf width direction A and a route along the shelf depth direction B, and the control device H controls the transport vehicle 2 so as to travel along the traveling route R in one direction. Therefore, in the inter-shelf passage 12 formed between the two container shelves 1, the traveling direction of the transport vehicle 2 is one direction. Then, for example, the container group WG is placed on the transport vehicle 2 by the target loading / unloading section 3A, which is one of the plurality of loading / unloading sections 3, and is stored in the plurality of target container shelves 1A which are a part of the plurality of container shelves 1. When the container group WG is to be lowered onto the target loading / unloading section 3A after the article is taken out from the container W, the control device H is such that the transport vehicle 2 travels along the traveling path R shown by the thick solid line in FIG. A transport command for taking out an article from the containers W stored in the plurality of target container shelves 1A is transmitted to the transport vehicle 2 to control the transport vehicle 2.
In FIG. 1, the traveling path R of the transport vehicle 2 is shown by a long-dotted chain line and a thick solid line. Further, in FIG. 1, the traveling direction of the transport vehicle 2 is indicated by an arrow.

The control unit 69 provided in the transport vehicle 2 controls the transport vehicle 2 as follows based on the transport information from the control device H.
The control unit 69 transports the container group WG, the carry-in control for mounting the container group WG on the transport vehicle 2, the transfer control for transferring the article between the container W in the second state and the container W in the first state, and the container group WG. Carry-out control for unloading from the vehicle 2 and replacement control for replacing the container W between the support area 22 and the shelf portion 11 are executed. In the present embodiment, in the transfer control, the transfer of the article from the container W in the first state to the container W in the second state and the transfer from the container W in the second state of the article to the container W in the first state Of the above, only the transfer of the article from the container W in the second state to the container W in the first state is performed. The control unit 69 executes the carry-in control to place the container group WG of the carry-in unit 16 on the conveyor 23 of the conveyor 2, and then executes the transfer control a plurality of times to form the container group WG. The articles are housed in each, and then the carry-out control is executed to lower the container group WG on the conveyor 23 to the carry-out unit 18.

In the carry-in control, the traveling unit 21 is controlled so that the transport vehicle 2 is adjacent to the carry-in unit 16 and then stopped, and then the conveyor 23 is controlled so that the container group WG is transferred from the carry-in unit 16 to the support area 22.
In the unloading control, the traveling unit 21 is controlled so that the transport vehicle 2 is adjacent to the unloading unit 18 and then stopped, and then the conveyor 23 is controlled so that the container group WG is transferred from the support area 22 to the unloading unit 18.

Next, the transfer control will be described.
In the transfer control, the container W housed in the target container shelf 1A is taken out onto the support 48 by the container transfer device 24, and the article transfer device 26 changes the container W from the second state to the first state. The transfer process of transferring the article to the container W, the storage process of storing the container W on the support 48 in the target container shelf 1A, and the rearrangement process of changing the order of the containers W of the container group WG are executed. do. In the transfer control, the take-out process, the transfer process, and the storage process are executed in this order, and the rearrangement process is executed as necessary. Normally, the sorting process is executed after the storage process, but when the container W containing the articles by the transfer control is the last container W (the articles are all in the containers W constituting the container group WG by the transfer control). In some cases), etc., the reordering process may not be performed in the transfer control.

In the take-out process, after raising and lowering the container transfer device 24 to the transfer height corresponding to the shelf portion 11 supporting the take-out target container W in the target container shelf 1A, the take-out target container W is moved from the shelf portion 11. The container transfer device 24 is controlled so as to transfer to the support 48. By executing the take-out process in this way, the take-out target container W housed in the target container shelf 1A is supported by the support 48 and becomes the container W in the second state.
In the storage process, the container transfer device 24 is moved up and down to a transfer height corresponding to the shelf portion 11 in which the container W supported by the support 48 is stored, and then from the support 48 to the shelf portion 11. The container transfer device 24 is controlled so as to transfer.

In the transfer process, the position and type of the article housed in the container W in the second state are recognized based on the imaging information of the second imaging device 27B, and the article to be taken out from the container shelf 1 is taken out. The article transfer device 26 is controlled so as to transfer from the container W in the second state to the container W in the first state. After that, in the transfer process, the first imaging device 27A recognizes the position and type of the article contained in the container W in the first state, and the article transfer device 26 appropriately transfers the article. Check if it is.

Further, in the transfer process, the position and type of the article housed in the container W in the first state are recognized based on the image pickup information of the first image pickup device 27A, and the take-out target to be stored in the container shelf 1 is taken out. The article transfer device 26 is controlled so that the article is transferred from the container W in the first state to the container W in the second state. After that, in the transfer process, the second imaging device 27B recognizes the position and type of the article housed in the container W in the second state, and the article transfer device 26 appropriately transfers the article. Check if it is. The uppermost container W in the container group WG supported by the support region 22 is the container W in the first state.

In the sorting process, first, the lifting mechanism 25 lifts the container W at an arbitrary height in the container group WG, and the container transfer device 24 lifts the container W at an arbitrary height one step below the container W in the container group WG. The lifting mechanism 25 and the container transfer device 24 are controlled so that the container W is transferred from the support region 22 onto the support 48. In the rearrangement process, the container W of an arbitrary height lifted by the lifting mechanism 25 is then lowered, and the container W (located one step below the container W of an arbitrary height) by the container transfer device 24. The lifting mechanism 25 and the container transfer device 24 are controlled so that the container W) is placed on the uppermost container W in the container group WG. By executing the rearrangement process in this way, the container W located one step below the container W of an arbitrary height is placed on the container group WG and becomes the uppermost container W and is in the first state. It becomes the container W of.
In the present embodiment, the container W at an arbitrary height in the container group WG is the container W in the second stage from the bottom in the container group WG. Therefore, in the rearrangement process, first, the lifting mechanism 25 lifts the container W in the second stage from the bottom in the container group WG, and the container transfer device 24 lifts the container W in the lowest stage in the container group WG from the support area 22. The lifting mechanism 25 and the container transfer device 24 are controlled so as to transfer onto the support 48. In the rearrangement process, the container group WG (other than the bottom container W) lifted by the lifting mechanism 25 is then lowered onto the conveyor 23, and the container W located at the bottom by the container transfer device 24. The lifting mechanism 25 and the container transfer device 24 are controlled so that the container W is placed on the uppermost container W in the container group WG. By executing the rearrangement process in this way, the container W located at the bottom is placed on the container group WG and becomes the container W at the top and becomes the container W in the first state.

In the transfer control, the control unit 69 cannot recognize the position and type of the article housed in the container W in the first state based on the image pickup information of the first image pickup device 27A, or the article transfer device 26 causes the control unit 69 to recognize the position and type of the article. If the article contained in the container W in one state cannot be held, the transfer control is canceled and the replacement control is executed. The shunting control is a control in which the container W in the first state is transferred from the support 48 to the support area 22, and the empty container W in the container group WG of the support area 22 is transferred from the support area 22 to the shelf portion 11. be. In the shunting control, the first container transfer process and the second container transfer process are executed in this order.
The first container transfer process controls the container transfer device 24 so that the container W in the first state is transferred from the support 48 to the support area 22. In this first transfer process, the container W in the first state may be transferred so as to be placed on the uppermost stage of the container group WG, and the container W is lifted by the lifting mechanism 25 and one step below the lifted container W. It may be transferred so as to be placed on the container W of.
The second container transfer process controls the container transfer device 24 so that the empty container W selected from the container group WG is transferred from the support area 22 to the shelf portion 11. In this second transfer process, when the uppermost container W in the container group WG is empty, the uppermost container W may be transferred to the shelf portion 11, and the container W below the uppermost container W may be transferred. If is empty, the lower container W may be transferred to the shelf portion 11.

2. Other Embodiments Next, other embodiments of the transport vehicle and the transport equipment will be described.

(1) In the above embodiment, the recognition device 27 is configured to recognize the articles contained in the containers W of both the container W in the first state and the container W in the second state. However, it may be configured to recognize only the article contained in one of the container W in the first state and the container W in the second state.
Specifically, for example, when the article transfer device 26 transfers the article recognized by the recognition device 27 only from the container W in the first state to the container W in the second state, the first image pickup device 27A and A configuration may be configured in which only the first imaging device 27A of the second imaging device 27B is provided, and the recognition device 27 recognizes only the articles housed in the container W in the first state. Further, when the article transfer device 26 transfers the article recognized by the recognition device 27 only from the container W in the second state to the container W in the first state, the first image pickup device 27A and the second image pickup device 27B The second imaging device 27B may be provided, and the recognition device 27 may recognize only the article housed in the container W in the second state.

(2) In the above embodiment, the container transfer device 24 is configured to transfer the container W by engaging the holding portion 46 with the surface of the container W in the support region 22 facing the left-right direction Y. The configuration of the transfer device 24 may be appropriately changed. For example, the container transfer device 24 is held in an engaged portion provided on a surface of the support region 22 facing the first side X1 in the front-rear direction of the container W. The container W may be configured to engage with the 46 to transfer the container W, or the container transfer device 24 may hold the container W in the support region 22 in the left-right direction Y by a pair of holding portions 46. W may be configured to be reprinted.

(3) In the above embodiment, a plurality of containers W are supported in the support area 22 in a stacked state, and the arrangement of the containers W of the container group WG stacked in the support area 22 is changed in the transport vehicle 2. Although the replacement device 68 is provided, only one container W may be supported in the support area 22, and the transfer device 2 may not be provided with the rearrangement device 68.

(4) In the above embodiment, the container transfer device 24 uses the lifting mechanism 25 and the container transfer device 24 to change the order of the containers W in the container group WG, so that the container transfer device 24 uses a part of the rearrangement device 68. However, the container is provided with a second transfer device in addition to the container transfer device 24, and the order of the containers W of the container group WG is changed by using the lifting mechanism 25 and the second transfer device. The transfer device 24 may not form part of the rearrangement device 68.

(5) In the above embodiment, the container transfer device 24 stores the container W taken out from the container shelf 1 at the position where the container W is stored in the container shelf 1 after the removal of the article is completed. The container transfer device 24 transfers the container W taken out from the container shelf 1 to the support area 22 and stacks it on the uppermost stage of the container group WG, or under an arbitrary container W lifted by the lifting mechanism 25. It may be transferred to the support area 22 so as to be put in a container and stacked at the interruption of the container group WG. Further, the container W at the top of the container group WG or the container W one step below any container W lifted by the lifting mechanism 25 may be stored in the container shelf 1.

(6) In the above embodiment, the container group WG of the support region 22 is supported on the transport surface of the conveyor 23, but the support region 22 is provided with a support base having no transport function, and the container group WG of the support region 22 is provided. It may be supported on the upper surface of the support base.

(7) In the above embodiment, a non-deformable container made of a resin material is used as the container W, but a foldable container may be used as the container W, and the container W may be made of a cloth material or a plastic material. The deformable bag-shaped container W may be used as the container W.

(8) In the above embodiment, the control device H virtually sets the travel path R except for a part and controls the transport vehicle 2 so as to travel along the travel route R. A guide rail 15 may be installed over the entire travel path R so that the transport vehicle 2 travels along the guide rail 15. Further, in the above embodiment, the guide rail 15 is installed on the floor surface and the transport vehicle 2 is guided by the guide rail 15, but a guide body other than the guide rail such as magnetic tape is installed on the floor surface. , The transport vehicle 2 may be guided by a guide body other than the guide rail 15.

(9) In the above embodiment, the article holding portion is provided with a suction pad to suck and hold the article, but the article holding portion may be provided with a grip portion for gripping the article to grip the article. The form in which the holder holds the article may be changed as appropriate.

(10) The configurations disclosed in each of the above-described embodiments can be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in other embodiments as long as there is no contradiction. With respect to other configurations, the embodiments disclosed herein are merely exemplary in all respects. Therefore, various modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

3. 3. Outline of the above-described embodiment The outline of the transport vehicle and the transport equipment described above will be described below.

In one embodiment, the transport vehicle travels along a container shelf provided with a plurality of shelves supporting the container in the vertical direction to transport the container.
A support area for supporting the container, a container transfer device for moving the container in and out of the container shelf, a container in the first state which is the container supported by the support area, and a container transfer. A recognition device that recognizes an article contained in the container in at least one state of the container in the second state, which is the container in a state supported by the mounting device, and an article recognized by the recognition device are the first. An article transfer device for transferring between a container in one state and a container in the second state is provided , and the container transfer device further moves the container in and out of the support area. It is configured.

According to this configuration, the container taken out from the container shelf by the container transfer device is supported by the container transfer device. Then, the article can be transferred between the container in the second state supported by the container transfer device and the container in the first state supported by the support region. Then, the container in the second state in which the articles have been taken out and stored can be stored in the container shelf by the container transfer device.
In this way, the container taken out from the container shelf by the container transfer device can be taken out and stored in the transport vehicle. Therefore, it is not necessary to transport the container taken out from the container shelf by a transport vehicle, and the container can be efficiently stored and taken out of the article.

Here, the recognition device recognizes the article contained in the container in the first state, and the article transfer device transfers the article recognized by the recognition device from the container in the first state to the second. It is suitable to transfer to the container in the state.

According to this configuration, by recognizing the article contained in the container in the first state by the recognition device, the recognized article can be appropriately taken out from the container in the first state and held by the article transfer device. Therefore, the article can be appropriately transferred from the container in the first state to the container in the second state by the article transfer device.

Further, the recognition device recognizes the article contained in the container in the second state, and the article transfer device transfers the article recognized by the recognition device from the container in the second state to the first state. It is suitable to transfer to the container of.

According to this configuration, by recognizing the article contained in the container in the second state by the recognition device, the recognized article can be appropriately taken out from the container in the second state and held by the article transfer device. Therefore, the article can be appropriately transferred from the container in the second state to the container in the first state by the article transfer device.

Further, the container transfer device is configured to hold the outer surface of the container and move the container, and the article transfer device holds the article contained in the container through the opening of the container. It is preferable that the container is configured to be taken out.

According to this configuration, the container transfer device can support the container while holding the outer surface. Then, when the article is taken out from the container by the article transfer device and when the article is stored in the container by the article transfer device, the outer surface of the container can be supported while being held by the container transfer device. Therefore, since the container can be appropriately held when the article is taken out from the container by the article transfer device, it is easy to appropriately transfer the article by the article transfer device.

Further, the containers are configured to be stackable in the vertical direction, and the support area can support a plurality of the containers in a stacked state, and the containers of the container group stacked in the support area can be supported. It is preferable that the container further provided with a sorting device for changing the sorting order, and the container located at the uppermost stage of the container group is the container in the first state.

According to this configuration, by changing the order of the containers of the container group supported in the support area by the rearrangement device, any container among the plurality of containers constituting the container group can be moved to the uppermost stage of the container group. That is, it can be a container in the first state. Therefore, the article transfer device can take out and accommodate the articles for all the containers in the container group while stacking a plurality of containers in the support area in a stacked state.

In another aspect, the transport vehicle travels along a container shelf provided with a plurality of vertical stages of shelves for supporting the container, transports the container, supports the container, and supports the container, and the container shelf. A container transfer device for taking in and out the container, a container in the first state which is the container supported by the support region, and the container supported by the container transfer device. A recognition device that recognizes an article contained in the container in at least one state of the container in the second state, and an article recognized by the recognition device in the container in the first state and the container in the second state. The container is configured to be stackable in the vertical direction, and the support area is capable of supporting a plurality of the containers in a stack state. A rearranging device for rearranging the order of the containers of the container group stacked in the support region is further provided, and the container located at the uppermost stage of the container group is the container in the first state.

According to this configuration, the container taken out from the container shelf by the container transfer device is supported by the container transfer device. Then, the article can be transferred between the container in the second state supported by the container transfer device and the container in the first state supported by the support region. Then, the container in the second state in which the articles have been taken out and stored can be stored in the container shelf by the container transfer device.
In this way, the container taken out from the container shelf by the container transfer device can be taken out and stored in the transport vehicle. Therefore, it is not necessary to transport the container taken out from the container shelf by a transport vehicle, and the container can be efficiently stored and taken out of the article.
Further, according to this configuration, by changing the order of the containers of the container group supported in the support area by the rearranging device, any container among the plurality of containers constituting the container group can be placed on the uppermost stage of the container group. It can be moved to, that is, a container in the first state. Therefore, the article transfer device can take out and accommodate the articles for all the containers in the container group while stacking a plurality of containers in the support area in a stacked state.

Further, the container transfer device includes a support for supporting the container and a transfer portion for transferring the container, and the transfer portion is the container between the shelf portion and the support. It is preferable to transfer the container between the support and the support area.

According to this configuration, the container transfer device can transfer the container taken out from the shelf to the support area and can store the container transferred from the support area in the shelf. Therefore, the degree of freedom of transportation by the transport vehicle can be increased.

Further, a lifting mechanism for lifting the container at an arbitrary height in the container group stacked in the support region with respect to the container below the container group is further provided, and the rearranging device includes the lifting mechanism and the above. It is preferable to have a container transfer device.

According to this configuration, the container transfer device lifts in addition to transferring the top container of the container group from the support area and placing another container on the top container of the container group. The container one below the container lifted by the mechanism can be transferred from the support area, or another container can be placed on the container one below the lifted container. By combining the transfer of the container by these container transfer devices and the lifting of the container by the lifting mechanism, the arrangement order of the containers of the container group supported in the support area can be changed.
Further, since the sorting device is configured by using the container transfer device, it is not necessary to separately provide a device for transferring the container to and from the transfer device in order to rearrange the containers. It is possible to simplify the configuration of.

Further, the container transfer device is provided with the support so as to be able to move up and down, and the support is raised and lowered to a transfer height corresponding to the shelf to be transferred, and the support is raised and lowered with respect to the shelf. The container is placed at a position where the transfer height corresponding to the shelf portion at the bottom is lower than the container arranged at the lowermost side in the support area. It is preferable that the height is set to be supported by the support.

According to this configuration, the height of the support when the container is taken in and out of the lowermost shelf can be set to a relatively low height. Therefore, the height of the bottom of the shelves can be lowered, the number of shelves arranged in the vertical direction in the container shelves can be increased, and the storage efficiency of the container shelves can be improved.

The transport equipment is equipped with multiple transport vehicles.
A plurality of the container shelves and a control device for setting a traveling route of the plurality of the transport vehicles are provided, and a passage of the transport vehicle formed between two container shelves adjacent to each other in the shelf depth direction is provided between the shelves. As the passages, the plurality of container shelves are arranged so that a plurality of the inter-shelf passages are formed, and the control device is such that the traveling direction of the transport vehicle in each of the inter-shelf passages is one direction. Set each travel route of the transport vehicle.

According to this configuration, by forming the inter-shelf passage between the two container shelves, the transport vehicle traveling in the inter-shelf passage has two container shelves existing on both sides in the direction orthogonal to the traveling path. Containers can be taken in and out of both sides. Further, since the traveling route is set so that the traveling direction of the transport vehicle is one direction, a plurality of transport vehicles can be smoothly traveled.

The technology according to the present disclosure can be used for a transport vehicle for transporting a container.

1: Container shelf 2: Transport vehicle 11: Shelf 12: Inter-shelf passage 22: Support area 24: Container transfer device 25: Lifting mechanism 26: Article transfer device 27: Recognition device 48: Support 60: Transfer section 68: Sorting device H: Control device W: Container WG: Container group Z: Vertical direction

Claims (10)

A transport vehicle that transports the container by traveling along a container shelf provided with a plurality of shelves supporting the container in the vertical direction.
A support area that supports the container and
A container transfer device for moving the container in and out of the container shelf,
The container in at least one state of the container in the first state, which is the container supported by the support region, and the container in the second state, which is the container supported by the container transfer device. A recognition device that recognizes the items contained in the container,
The article transfer device for transferring the article recognized by the recognition device between the container in the first state and the container in the second state is provided.
The container transfer device is a transport vehicle that is further configured to move the container in and out of the support area. The recognition device recognizes the article contained in the container in the first state and recognizes the article.
The transport vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the article transfer device transfers an article recognized by the recognition device from the container in the first state to the container in the second state. The recognition device recognizes the article contained in the container in the second state and recognizes the article.
The transport vehicle according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the article transfer device transfers an article recognized by the recognition device from the container in the second state to the container in the first state. The container transfer device is configured to hold the outer surface of the container and move the container.
The transport vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the article transfer device is configured to hold and take out the articles contained in the container from the opening of the container. The container is configured to be stackable in the vertical direction.
The support area can support a plurality of the containers in a stacked state, and can support the plurality of containers in a stacked state.
Further provided with a rearranging device for changing the rearrangement order of the containers of the container group stacked in the support area.
The transport vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the container located at the uppermost stage of the container group is the container in the first state. A transport vehicle that transports the container by traveling along a container shelf provided with a plurality of shelves supporting the container in the vertical direction.
A support area that supports the container and
A container transfer device for moving the container in and out of the container shelf,
The container in at least one state of the container in the first state, which is the container supported by the support region, and the container in the second state, which is the container supported by the container transfer device. A recognition device that recognizes the items contained in the container,
The article transfer device for transferring the article recognized by the recognition device between the container in the first state and the container in the second state is provided.
The container is configured to be stackable in the vertical direction.
The support area can support a plurality of the containers in a stacked state, and can support the plurality of containers in a stacked state.
Further provided with a rearranging device for changing the rearrangement order of the containers of the container group stacked in the support area.
A transport vehicle in which the container located at the uppermost stage of the container group is the container in the first state. The container transfer device includes a support for supporting the container and a transfer unit for transferring the container.
Claim 5 or 6 in which the transfer section performs the transfer of the container between the shelf and the support and the transfer of the container between the support and the support area. The transport vehicle described in. Further provided is a lifting mechanism for lifting the container at an arbitrary height in the container group stacked in the support region with respect to the container below the container group.
The transport vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein the rearranging device includes the lifting mechanism and the container transfer device. The container transfer device is provided with the support so as to be able to move up and down, and the support is raised and lowered to a transfer height corresponding to the shelf to be transferred, and the support is raised and lowered with respect to the shelf. It is configured to put the container in and out,
The transfer height corresponding to the shelf portion at the bottom is set to a height at which the container is supported by the support at a position lower than the container arranged at the lowermost side in the support region. The transport vehicle according to claim 7 or 8. A transport facility provided with a plurality of transport vehicles according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
A plurality of the container shelves and a control device for setting a traveling route of the plurality of the transport vehicles are provided.
The passage of the transport vehicle formed between the two container shelves adjacent to each other in the shelf depth direction is used as an inter-shelf passage, and the plurality of container shelves are arranged so that a plurality of the inter-shelf passages are formed.
The control device is a transport facility that sets each travel path of the transport vehicle so that the travel direction of the transport vehicle in each of the inter-shelf passages is one direction.

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